Mark Warner on Civil Rights

Democratic Jr Senator; previously Governor

Eliminated Family Rule, so unrelated couples can buy homes

Throughout his term, Governor Warner demonstrated his commitment to fighting discrimination in Virginia in all forms. In 2002, he led the effort to eliminate the Family Rule, which had prevented thousands of unrelated borrowers (those unrelated
by blood, marriage, or adoption) from accessing low-interest VHDA loans to become homeowners.

Project Genesis: faith-based African-American home program

In 2003, the Warner Administration launched Project Genesis--a faith-based, community education initiative designed to increase homeownership opportunities for African-Americans. The program enrolled 1,700 participants in the Richmond area alone.

The
Governor also oversaw creation of the Virginia Fair Housing Board to help reduce housing discrimination and unfair housing practices in Virginia.

Promote minority-owned business

Virginia is a great place for minority-owned companies to do business. As the face of Virginia continues to change, Virginia should welcome the investment of Asian-, Hispanic-, and women-owned businesses and others as well. The state could do so much
more to help minority-owned companies get off the ground and grow. As Governor, Mark Warner will increase the agency’s profile by appointing a leader with proven business experience to run the Department of Minority Business Enterprise. He’ll direct his
Secretary of Commerce & Trade to work closely with the Department, and he’ll instruct the Department to work cooperatively with business groups and the private sector to develop a seamless web of growth opportunities for minority-owned businesses.
He’ll also work to streamline the process for certification of minority-owned businesses and to make sure that agreements reached between majority- and minority-owned companies are actually carried out.

Source: Campaign web site, MarkWarner2001.org/issues
, Nov 6, 2001

End racial profiling; more minority police

It’s just plain wrong for drivers to be stopped because of their appearance, the type of car they drive, or the color of their skin. Racial profiling hurts the effectiveness of police departments,
which cannot effectively enforce the law without the full confidence of the citizens they serve. As Governor, Mark will put an end to racial profiling. First, he will order a continuing review of the frequency of racial profiling.
Second, he’ll work to encourage the recruitment and hiring of more minority law enforcement officers.
Third, he’ll strengthen Virginia’s commitment to community policing, in order to build trust between neighborhoods and law enforcement and prevent profiling from happening in the first place.

Source: Campaign web site, MarkWarner2001.org/issues
, Nov 6, 2001

Extend hate crimes to include sexual orientation

There is no place for hate in Virginia. Mark supports Virginia’s hate crimes law, which provides tougher penalties for crimes where the individual was singled out and victimized because of race or religion.
He supports expanding this law to cover individuals singled out because of sexual orientation or disability.

Source: Campaign web site, MarkWarner2001.org/issues
, Nov 6, 2001

Voted YES on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

Congressional Summary:Amends the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) to add or expand definitions of several terms used in such Act, including :

"underserved populations" as populations that face barriers in accessing and using victim services because of geographic location, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity; and

"youth" to mean a person who is 11 to 24 years old.

Opponent's Argument for voting No (The Week; Huffington Post, and The Atlantic):
House Republicans had objected to provisions in the Senate bill that extended VAWA's protections to lesbians, gays, immigrants, and Native Americans. For example, Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH) voted against the VAWA bill because it was a "politically–motivated, constitutionally-dubious Senate version bent on dividing women into categories by race, transgender politics and sexual preference." The objections can be grouped in two broadly ideological areas--that the law is an unnecessary overreach by the federal government, and that it represents a "feminist" attack on family values. The act's grants have encouraged states to implement "mandatory-arrest" policies, under which police responding to domestic-violence calls are required to make an arrest. These policies were intended to combat the too-common situation in which a victim is intimidated into recanting an abuse accusation. Critics also say VAWA has been subject to waste, fraud, and abuse because of insufficient oversight.